This invention relates in general to a building system using composite insulated panels and in particular to the interconnection system that facilitates panel replacement.
Building systems using composite panels fabricated with metal facing sheets separated by insulating cores with single or multiple layers of materials are well known in the art.
The following U.S. patents are among examples of the most related prior art and illustrate typical techniques for interconnecting prefabricated insulated building panels:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 5,673,524 Gailey October 7, 1997 5,664,386 Palmersten September 9, 1997 5,613,338 Eposito March 25, 1997 5,509,242 Rechsteiner et al. April 23, 1996 5,502,939 Zadok et al. April 2, 1996 5,448,865 Palmersten September 12, 1995 5,404,686 Eposito April 11, 1995 5,293,728 Christopher et al. March 15, 1994 5,247,770 Ting September 28, 1993 5,086,599 Meyerson February 11, 1992 4,936,078 Porter June 26, 1990 4,295,304 Kim October 20, 1981 4,186,539 Harmon et al. February 5, 1980 4,123,885 Scott November 7, 1978 ______________________________________
Inventors have been improving the prior art with specific regard to interlocking panel connections, structural safety, fire performance, weather sealing performance, appearance and easy erection.
Esposito in U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,338 issued Mar. 25, 1997 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,686 issued Apr. 11, 1995 and Porter in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,078 issued Jun. 26, 1990 used sheets of fire resistant materials to improve the fire performance of the insulating cores.
Structural, thermal and weatherproof considerations have produced a variety of complex configurations that interlock panels. These configurations utilize the edges of facing sheets and their bonded core to form tongues or projections on one edge and pockets or cavities on the opposite edge. The completed interlocked panel joints include sealants or caulking compounds and are very difficult to disassemble.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,524 to Gailey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,386 to Palmersten, U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,338 to Esposito, U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,242 to Rechsteiner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,939 to Zadock et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,865 to Palmersten, U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,770 to Ting and U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,599 to Meyerson are among the latest examples of complex interlocking configurations.
Some of the most common problems and disadvantages resulting from panel interlocking include:
Panel interlocking requires considerable force and panel disengagement is very difficult.
Damaged panels can be cut out and the openings prepared to receive a replacement. However, the main problem is to set the replacement in place. Commonly, insulated building panels interlock by pushing them together laterally or by an angular movement. But, the opening left by removing a damaged panel prevents installation of the interlocking replacement by either of these two methods.
Cutting the edges of the interlocking panels in order to install replacements will destroy their joint connections.
Sliding the replacements along their longitudinal edges into their final location is practically impossible.
Panels blocking access to the actual location of the panel being changed could be taken apart with great difficulty and reassembled. Nevertheless, this additional task is a major disadvantage.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that included easy disassembly and replacement of composite insulated building panels. Therefore, there is a need for a building system that incorporates the improvements of composite insulated panels with simple connections that provide easy assembly, disassembly, reassembly and replacement of individual panels while retaining the integrity of the connection and the structural stability of the building.